Recruitment Rises 12.5% Despite Ongoing Challenges
The Defense Department's armed services branches recruited 12.5% more individuals in financial year 2024 than in the year prior despite a difficult and disinterested recruiting market.
Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks with members of the media during a panel on fiscal year 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
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Credit: Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD.
VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1004
While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 hiring problems at the Pentagon earlier today, Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland said that the services increased the variety of recruits from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.
Additionally, she stated, the services had a 35% increase in written contracts, and the active components' delayed entry program started FY 2025 with a 10% larger swimming pool.
" [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to develop off the momentum that we have actually gotten in 2024," Helland said.
" Nevertheless," she continued, "we need to stay very carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth tendency to serve, restricted familiarity with military opportunities, a competitive labor market and a declining eligibility amongst young people."
Helland elaborated on those obstacles by describing that, for the very first time considering that the metric has actually been tracked, most young people have actually never thought about the option of serving in the armed force.
The factors behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to buddies or household members who have served in the armed force.
The Defense Department's armed services branches recruited 12.5% more individuals in financial year 2024 than in the year prior despite a difficult and disinterested recruiting market.
Katie Helland Director of Military Accessions Policy Katie Helland speaks with members of the media during a panel on fiscal year 2025 recruiting goals at the Pentagon, Oct. 30, 2024.
Share:
×
Share
Copy Link
X.
LinkedIn.
Download: Full Size (235.52 KB).
Credit: Flying Force Tech. Sgt. Jackie Sanders, DOD.
VIRIN: 241030-D-XI929-1004
While speaking at a multiservice panel on 2025 hiring problems at the Pentagon earlier today, Director of Military Accession Policy Katie Helland said that the services increased the variety of recruits from 200,000 in FY 2023 to 225,000 in FY 2024, which ended September 30.
Additionally, she stated, the services had a 35% increase in written contracts, and the active components' delayed entry program started FY 2025 with a 10% larger swimming pool.
" [The Office of the Secretary of Defense] and the services will continue to develop off the momentum that we have actually gotten in 2024," Helland said.
" Nevertheless," she continued, "we need to stay very carefully positive about the future recruiting operations as we continue to hire in a market that has low youth tendency to serve, restricted familiarity with military opportunities, a competitive labor market and a declining eligibility amongst young people."
Helland elaborated on those obstacles by describing that, for the very first time considering that the metric has actually been tracked, most young people have actually never thought about the option of serving in the armed force.
The factors behind that are multifold, Helland said. Young Americans have fewer ties to buddies or household members who have served in the armed force.
